Timeline of Danford Grant case

2012

Aug. 28: A massage therapist is sexually assaulted at knifepoint at a Bellevue massage parlor by a man who had a scheduled appointment. The victim said the attacker was a past client, but his identity is unknown, according to police.

Sept. 24: A man later identified as Danford Grant is chased down by employees and arrested by police after the rape of a massage therapist at the Carnation Chinese Massage Clinic in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. Bellevue police say they believe he is the same man responsible for the Aug. 28 rape in that city.

Sept. 27:Grant is charged with three counts of first-degree rape, one count of attempted second-degree rape, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of second-degree rape. Bail is set at $3 million.

Nov. 7: Grant’s wife, Supervising Assistant City Prosecutor Jennifer Grant, has been reassigned to responsibilities that “do not entail courtroom prosecutorial work,” the Seattle City Attorney’s Office announces. It’s also revealed that days after her husband’s arrest, Jennifer Grant moved his 2009 Honda Pilot from near the Greenwood message clinic. The SUV wasn’t at Grant’s home or office when police served search warrants at those locations, according to an affidavit. It wasn’t until Oct. 21 that an attorney representing Jennifer Grant contacted police and revealed the SUV’s location, the affidavit says.

Nov. 15: Grant’s wife files a petition for legal separation from her husband in Snohomish County Superior Court. The petition does not include a request for spousal maintenance, but asked the court to determine child support for the couple’s two young children and divide their property and debts. (Grant also has a son from a previous relationship who lives with the family.)

2013

September: Jennifer Grant is appointed as a pro tem magistrate for the Seattle Municipal Court, a month after leaving the Seattle City Attorney’s Office. Unlike judges, magistrates are not elected and Grant is restricted to hearing matters involving civil traffic or parking infractions.

2014

January: A report by a Seattle law firm into the actions of Grant’s wife finds that she potentially could have been charged with obstructing a police investigation and evidence tampering by moving his SUV after his arrest. The report — written in June 2013 but only recently made public — noted that the Seattle City Attorney’s Office could be justified in concluding Jennifer Grant “engaged in a major disciplinary offense” and that her failure to fully disclose her involvement in moving her husband’s Honda Pilot resulted in “a serious breach of trust.”

March: Grant’s defense team files a motion seeking to have the rape charges against him dropped, saying police failed to preserve secret video footage that could have cleared him. The defense alleges the footage was erased by the owner of the Greenwood massage parlor. An analysis by a state expert later concluded that the footage had been overwritten but not deleted.

April 16: King County prosecutors file two additional charges of attempted second-degree rape against Grant, who now faces nine felony counts in connection with alleged attacks on five Asian massage therapists in 2011 and 2012.

May 1: Gov. Jay Inslee announces he is appointing King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu, who is presiding over Grant’s trial, to the state Supreme Court. Judge William Downing is assigned to the case.

May 5: The King County Prosecutor’s Office dismisses four charges against Grant: one count of first-degree rape, two counts of second-degree rape and one count of attempted second-degree rape. Grant is still facing two counts of first-degree rape, two counts of attempted second-degree rape and one count of burglary.

May 7: In a plea deal on the day opening statements were set to begin in his trial, Grant pleads guilty to five counts of third-degree rape and one count of first-degree burglary. The recommended sentence is 25 years.

About The Today File

The Today File is a general news blog featuring real-time coverage of Seattle and the Northwest. It is reported by the news staff of The Seattle Times and includes stories from The Associated Press and McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.